Controlling display of content on networked passenger controllers and video display units

ABSTRACT

A controller is disclosed that controls an entertainment system which includes a video display unit that is separate from the controller. The controller includes a network interface, a display device, and a processing device. The network interface communicates with the video display unit via at least one data network. The processing device communicates a first command over the at least one data network to control a display of first content on the video display unit, and controls a display of second content on the display device of the controller. The second content is displayed concurrently with the first content. Related entertainment systems are disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/427,871 entitled “Programmable PassengerController With High Resolution Display and Touch Screen Interface”filed Dec. 29, 2010, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to electronic entertainment systems and,more particularly, to devices used for remotely controllingentertainment systems.

BACKGROUND

In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems have been deployed onboardaircraft to provide entertainment for passengers in a passenger cabin.The in-flight entertainment systems typically provide passengers withvideo and audio programming. Some in-flight entertainment systemsinclude an electronic communications network having a head-end serverand seat-end electronics boxes that are coupled with video display unitslocated at passenger seats. The video display units display content thatis distributed to the seat-end electronics boxes from the head-endserver over the communications network. Controllers facilitate a user'scontrol of the content displayed on the video display units. Thecontrollers typically include remote controls for personal use bypassengers at their seats in the aircraft.

User interfaces to existing IFE systems may include a touch screen on adedicated seat display monitor or video display unit disposed at thepassenger seat, such as in the seat back in front of the passenger seat.The user interfaces may also include a fixed or tethered remote controlunit at a passenger seat that is within reach of the passenger. Remotecontrol units typically include fixed mechanical buttons which provide avariety of functions similar to a typical commercial television remotecontrol. Users manipulate the buttons of the remote control units toproduce desired responses at their respective video display units.

The process of using the remote control unit to control the display ofthe respective video display unit requires users to repetitively shifttheir focus and attention between the remote control unit and the videodisplay unit, which can be inconvenient and problematic. This shiftingof focus may slow the users' interactions with the video display unitand may cause some users discomfort. In addition, the tightcommand-response relationship between manipulation of a button on theremote control and responsive action displayed on the video display unittypically limits users to performing one activity at a time using theremote control unit. For example, users may only be able to interactwith one step of an application process or one change to program contenton the video display unit at a time using the remote control, even ifthe video display unit provides a windowed or overlaid display of morethan one content item at a time. In addition, a graphical user interface(GUI), which is overlaid on video content displayed on the video displayunit, can block a substantial portion of the video display unit'sdisplayable surface, thus interfering with the passenger's viewingexperience.

In a typical configuration, a remote control unit installed at apassenger seat has a fixed set of mechanical buttons or other physicalcontrols, and cannot be expanded or modified without an expensive andtime-consuming hardware replacement. Therefore, a user of the remotecontrol is only able to control the display of content on the videodisplay unit using a fixed method allowed by the mechanical buttons andother physical controls included on the remote control unit inconjunction with fixed programming for prompts, etc., provided via thevideo display unit. For example, a fixed remote control unit may includethe following physical controls:

-   -   Buttons for audio and video controls for video display unit;    -   Buttons for navigating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of video        display unit;    -   Buttons for game control functions associated with video display        unit;    -   Buttons for IFE system services;    -   Buttons for an alpha-numeric keyboard (e.g., QWERTY keyboard);        and    -   Buttons for remote control of reading light and calling flight        attendant

The inflexibility of current remote control units severely limits theability of an IFE system to accommodate passenger and airline needs. Forexample, an alpha-numeric keyboard cannot be customized for thedifferent languages of its passengers without great expense.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to a controllerfor controlling an entertainment system that includes a video displayunit that is separate from the controller. The controller includes anetwork interface, a display device, and a processing device. Thenetwork interface communicates with the video display unit via at leastone data network. The processing device communicates a first commandover the at least one data network to control a display of first contenton the video display unit, and controls a display of second content onthe display device of the controller. The second content is displayedconcurrently with the first content.

In a further embodiment, the controller uses near field communicationsto identify the video display unit which is to be linked to thecontroller, and then uses the identity to establish a wired networkconnection to the video display unit.

In a further embodiment, the controller uses near field communicationsto identify the video display unit which is to be linked to thecontroller, and then uses the identity to carry out wireless pairing ofthe controller to the video display unit.

In a further embodiment, the controller establish a lower transmissiondata rate wireless communication link and a separate higher transmissiondata rate wireless communication link between the controller and thevideo display unit. The lower transmission data rate wirelesscommunication link is used to transmit control commands from thecontroller to the video display unit or vice versa. The highertransmission data rate wireless communication link is used to transmitcontent from the video display unit to the controller or vice versa.

Some other embodiments of the present invention are directed to anentertainment system for a passenger vehicle that includes a pluralityof passenger seats. The entertainment system includes a plurality ofpassenger controllers, a communication network, and a network addresstranslation router. The passenger controllers are each associated with adifferent one of the passenger seats. Each of the passenger controllersincludes a passenger interface for receiving and outputting information.The communication network communicatively interconnects the passengercontrollers. Each of the passenger controllers is assigned a networkaddress that is used for routing information thereto through thecommunication network. The network address translation router isconfigured to route a communication packet from an originating one ofthe passenger controllers through the communication network to adestination one of the passenger controllers by translating between apassenger readable identifier for the destination passenger seat and thenetwork address of the passenger controller associated with thedestination passenger seat.

In a further embodiment, the network address translation router isfurther configured to maintain a routing table that programmaticallyassociates a passenger readable identifier for each of the passengerseats with the network address of the passenger controller associatedwith the passenger seat. The router receives a phone call and/or a textmessage via the communication network from the originating passengercontroller. The phone call and/or the text message contains thepassenger readable identifier for the destination passenger seat. Therouter queries the routing table using the passenger readable identifierto identify the associated network address for the passenger controllerassociated with the destination passenger seat, and route the phone calland/or the text message through the communication network to the networkaddress for the passenger controller associated with the destinationpassenger seat.

Other controllers, systems, and methods according to embodiments of theinvention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional controllers, systems, and methods beincluded within this description, be within the scope of the presentinvention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. Moreover, it isintended that all embodiments disclosed herein can be implementedseparately or combined in any way and/or combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiment(s)of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of an assembled example programmablepassenger controller according to some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 1B shows an exploded perspective view of the example programmablepassenger controller of FIG. 1A according to some embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B show example interior views of the top cover assembly ofthe programmable passenger controller of FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show example front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the passenger controller of FIGS. 1A and 1B assembledinto a front cover assembly and a rear cover assembly;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an entertainment system that includespassenger controllers and other system components which are configuredaccording to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another entertainment system that includespassenger controllers and other system components which are configuredaccording to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a passenger controller that is configuredaccording to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a system component that is configuredaccording to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a combined data flow diagram and flowchart of operations andmethods that establish communication pathways between various componentsof an entertainment system according to some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a combined data flow diagram and flowchart of furtheroperations and methods that establish communication pathways betweenvarious components of an entertainment system according to someembodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of another entertainment system that isconfigured according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuitshave not been described in detail so as not to obscure the presentinvention.

Various embodiments of passenger controllers and entertainment systemare described herein which provide benefits over prior systems. Forexample, some embodiments may provide a flexible entertainment controlexperience to a passenger that supports multitasking so that thepassenger may conduct multiple activities simultaneously using the IFEsystem. The programmable passenger controller may be easily customizableby the IFE system manufacturer or aircraft operator for differentaircraft, customer, and/or passenger requirements. Such customizationcan include, but is not limited to, changing languages that are used fordisplay of textual information, machine generated speech, and/or machinerecognized speech from passengers, and/or cultural customizations aswell as other airline operator or flight route customizations. Thepassenger controller may also facilitate customization of userselectable indicia on a touch screen interface, such as changes to softbutton locations/indicia to provide customized touch screen based gamecontrollers which may be automatically reconfigured for use withdifferent game programs that can be selected among by a passenger forexecution.

Although various embodiments of the present invention are explainedherein in the context an in-flight entertainment environment,embodiments of entertainment systems and related controllers are notlimited thereto and may be used in other environments, including othervehicles such as ships, buses, trains, and automobiles, as well asbuildings such as conference centers, restaurants, businesses, hotels,homes, etc.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an assembled example passengercontroller 100. FIG. 1B illustrates the example passenger controller 100in an exploded perspective view. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate interiorviews of the top cover assembly 110 of the example passenger controller100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Embodiments of the controller 100 may beinstalled proximate to a passenger seat to which a separate videodisplay unit is also proximately installed. The controller 100 may beinstalled so as to be handheld while tethered to the aircraft in thevicinity of the passenger seat, such by being tethered to a seat back infront of the passenger seat or to a hand rest adjacent to the passengerseat. The controller 100 may be tethered to its installation location,so that the controller 100 may be held in a passenger's hand in acomfortable and convenient position for viewing and manipulation, whilenot being removable by the passenger from its installation location.

In other embodiments, the controller 100 may be installed in a fixedposition to be adjacent to the video display unit in the seat back infront of the respective passenger seat, in the hand rest adjacent to therespective passenger seat, in a swing-out arm adjacent to the respectivepassenger seat, or in other configurations. In some embodiments, thecontroller 100 may not be tethered or fixedly installed, but instead byportable and wirelessly connected to the IFE system. Embodiments of thecontroller 100 may also be installed in various other locations withinan aircraft, such as in common areas such as galleys and lounges. Thecontroller 100 may be automatically locked into a cradle, via a movablesolenoid, that is controlled by the controller 100, the SVDU 400, and/orother component to prevent removal during take-off, landing, taxiing,and/or while the aircraft is parked.

In one embodiment, near field communications are used to determinewhether the controller 100 has been removed from a cradle or outside adefined range of an associated seating area, and a flight attendant canbe notified responsive to that determination. For example, as explainedbelow, the controller 100 may be paired to a near field communicationtransceiver (e.g., RFID transceiver or Bluetooth transceiver) associatedwith the cradle and/or the SVDU 400 to form a near field communicationlink therebetween. The controller 100 and/or the paired SVDU 400/cradlecan detect loss of the near field communication link and communicate aresponsive alert message to an alert panel monitored by a flightattendant. The flight attendant can thereby be notified when, forexample, a controller 100 is not properly stored (e.g., cradled) duringtakeoff, landing, and/or taxiing of an aircraft, and/or when acontroller 100 is being carried off the aircraft.

The controller 100 may include a number of components, some of which areillustrated in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B. The components of thecontroller 100 and arrangement thereof portrayed in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A,and 2B are not to be construed as limiting, but are to be consideredexemplary to illustrate some embodiments of the invention. In variousembodiments, some of the illustrated components may not be presentand/or additional components may be additionally included to provideadditional features and/or operation in view of the present disclosure.For example, while touch screen displays (touch sensitive displays) arediscussed with reference to the figures, in some embodiments thecontrollers may not include touch screens, and other technologiesbesides touch screen technology may be used to provide input to thecontroller 100.

The controller 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B includes a top coverassembly 110, a keypad 120, a liquid crystal display (LCD) 130, amid-frame 140, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 150, anelectromagnetic interference (EMI) shield 160, a bottom cover 170, andan access door 180. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the top coverassembly 110 includes a decorative cover 210 and a touch screen 220installed on an underside thereof to cover the LCD 130. The keypad 120provides physical keys or buttons which a user may press to provideinput to the IFE system using the controller 100. The keypad 120 mayprovide a tactile feedback to the user. The functionality associatedwith the keys or buttons of the keypad 120 may provide programmaticallyreconfigurable functionality. The LCD 130 may be a high resolution colordisplay that measures approximately 3.8 inches diagonally with 800×480pixels, but may be larger or smaller with a different number of pixelsin other embodiments as known in the art. The LCD 130 may provide adisplay of video content including soft buttons or programmable controlswhich a user may touch select using the touch screen 220 to provideinput to the IFE system using the controller 100.

The mid-frame 140 may provide structural integrity to the controller100. In the illustrated embodiment, the mid-frame 140 may be aluminum(providing an advantageous balance of low cost and light weight). Othermaterials that may be used for the mid-frame 140 can include a plasticmaterial, a ceramic material, or another material appropriate and usefulin an aircraft environment.

The PCBA 150 may include electronic circuits such as a processor,memory, data bus, data communications circuitry, display drivercircuitry, audio I/O circuitry, accelerometer, haptic vibration motors,and other circuitry as appropriate to perform the functions of thecontroller 100. The EMI shield 160 may shield electro-magneticinterference from emanating from the PCBA 150 in the controller 100. Thedecorative cover 210 and the bottom cover 170 may provide a decorativeappearance, comfortable gripping surface, and protection of the interiorcomponents of the controller 100. The access door 180 may facilitateeasy access to interior components (some of which may not be shown) ofthe controller 100, such as one or more batteries, switches, maintenanceport, and/or removable media storage (e.g., a memory card such as aSecure Digital card).

The mid-frame 140 provides mechanical stability and protection for theLCD 130. The controller 100 may be equipped with a LCD 130 that is aslarge as will fit within its size envelope, which may be regulated byindustry standards, such as ARINC 809-1 “3GCN (3rd Generation CabinNetwork) Seat Distribution System” which defines the electrical andmechanical interfaces of in-flight entertainment system equipment forthe 3^(rd) generation cabin network (ARINC Inc., 2551 Riva Road,Annapolis, Md., http://www.arinc.com). The mid-frame 140 protects thecontroller 100 and the LCD 130 from passenger abuse such as twisting,applying excessive pressure, dropping, etc. The mid-frame 140 provides athin yet strong wall surrounding the edges of the LCD 130 to facilitatea large viewable surface area.

The touch screen 220 may incorporate a projected capacitive multi-touchscreen embedded within or laminated on an underside of the decorativecover 210. In this way, the controller 100 may be constructed to have athin profile with a sleek appearance. The capacitive touch screensurface of the touch screen 220 may generate a signal indicating aposition or x-y coordinate of a passenger's touch on the touch screen220, and optionally a field strength of the passenger's touch. Thesignal indicating the position may be used to generate a control signalused to control a video source of the LCD 130 or a respective videodisplay unit of the IFE system with which the controller 100 isoperatively associated. The controller 100 may recognize one or moresimultaneous touches input by a passenger on the touch screen 220, andmay recognize changes in their positions over time. Based on these oneor more simultaneous touches, the controller 100 may recognize variousgestures such as taps, swipes, strokes, flicks, and pinches, and mayperform functions associated with these gestures, such as scrollingscreens of data, zooming, selecting menu items, etc.

A touch sensitivity of the capacitive touch technology of the touchscreen 220 may be adjusted to compensate for a thickness of atransparent or translucent portion of the decorative cover 210 over thetouch screen 220, which may include a material such as polarized glassor plastic. For example, the portion of the decorative cover 210covering the touch screen 220 may include materials, compositions, andconstruction characteristics to provide a bright and clear display ofthe LCD 130 to a user. The portion of the decorative cover 210 mayinclude a reflective mirror surface which passengers may use as apersonal mirror for viewing themselves when the LCD 130 is turned off ordark. The reflective mirror surface may include materials, compositions,and construction characteristics to avoid excessive glare to thepassenger.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate front and rear perspective views,respectively, of the controller 100 assembled into a front coverassembly 310 and a rear cover assembly 320. The front cover assembly 310includes the top cover assembly 110, the keypad 120, the LCD 130, andthe mid-frame 140. The rear cover assembly 320 includes the PCBA 150,the EMI shield 160, the bottom cover 170, the access door 180 (notshown), and a local memory assembly 330. The local memory assembly 330may include the removable media storage. This arrangement of parts intothe top cover assembly 310 and the rear cover assembly 320 should not beconstrued as limiting, however, as the partitioning of parts intoassemblies may be different in various embodiments.

Example Entertainment Systems Having Wireless and Wired ConnectionsBetween Passenger Controller and Other Components

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an entertainment system that includespassenger controllers 100 a-d, seat video display units (SVDUs) 400 a-d,and other system components which are configured according to someembodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the systemincludes a head end content server 410 that can contains content thatcan be downloaded to the SVDU 400 a-d and passenger controllers 100 a-dthrough a data network 420 and/or a wireless router 430. Example contentthat can be downloaded from the head end content server 410 can include,but is not limited to, movies, TV shows, other video, audio programming,and application programs (e.g. game programs). The data network 420 maybe a packet network (e.g., Ethernet), and wireless router 430 may be aWLAN (e.g. IEEE 802.11, WIMAX, etc) and/or a cellular-based network(e.g. a pico cell).

When used in an aircraft environment, the SVDU 400 a-d can be attachedto seatbacks so that they face passengers in a following row of seats.As explained above, the passenger controllers 100 a-d may, for example,be tethered by a cable (e.g. wire/communication cable) to an armrest oran associated SVDU, or may be untethered. Although some embodiments aredescribed herein in the context of a controller that communicates with aseat video display unit, the controller is not limited to communicatingwith a seat video display unit and may be used with any separate videodisplay unit.

The passenger controllers 100 a-d are communicatively connected throughwireless and/or wired communication links to different SVDUs 400 a-d.For example, the controller 100 a is connected by a wired communicationcable (e.g. serial communication cable) to the SVDU 400 a which, inturn, is connected to the head end content server 410 through a wiredcommunication cable connected to the network 420. The controller 100 bis wirelessly connected through Bluetooth, WLAN, and/or other wirelesscommunication interface directly to the SVDU 400 b. The controller 100 cis indirectly connected to the SVDU 400 c through the wireless router430. The controller 100 d is connected by another wired communicationcable to the SVDU 400 d. The SVDUs 400 b,c,d are connected to the headend content server 410 by a wireless link through the wireless router430. One or more of the controllers 100 may be connected directly to thenetwork 420 by a wired connection, such as shown for controller 100 a′.

In accordance with some embodiments, a passenger can operate acontroller 100 to control what content is displayed and/or how thecontent is displayed on the associated SVDU 400 and/or the controller100. For example, passenger can operate the controller 100 to selectamong movies, games, audio program, and/or television shows that arelisted on the SVDU 400, and can cause a selected movie/game/audioprogram/television show to be played on the SVDU 400, played on thecontroller 100, or played on a combination of the SVDU 400 and thecontroller 100 (e.g., concurrent display on separate screens).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another entertainment system that includesseat electronics boxes 500 that can be distributed within aircraft tointerconnect the head end content server 410 to the SVDUs 400 e-g and/orthe passenger controllers 100 e-g. For example, the seat electronics box500 can be configured to route media from the head end content server410 to selected ones of the SVDUs 400 e-g and/or the passengercontrollers 100 e-g, and to relay commands (e.g., media selectioncommands, media playback commands, etc.) from the SVDUs 400 e-g and/orthe passenger controllers 100 e-g to the head end content server 410.

The passenger controllers 100 e-g are communicatively connected throughwireless and/or wired communication links to different SVDUs 400 e-g.For example, the controller 100 e is connected by a wired communicationcable (e.g. serial communication cable) to the SVDU 400 e which, inturn, is connected to the head end content server 410 through a wiredcommunication cable connected to the seat electronics box 500. Thecontroller 100 f is indirectly connected to the SVDU 400 f by a wiredconnection through the seat electronics box 500. The controller 100 g isindirectly connected to the SVDU 400 through a wireless connection(e.g., Bluetooth, WLAN, etc.) through the seat electronics box 500. Oneor more of the SVDUs 400 may be connected to the seat electronics box500 using one or more of the wireless communication interfaces 530disclosed herein.

Each controller 100 in the IFE system may be assigned a unique networkaddress (e.g., media access control (MAC) address, Ethernet address). Inaddition, each SVDU 400 may be each assigned a unique network address(e.g., MAC address, Ethernet address) which are different from therespective controller 100 network addresses. In some embodiments, thecontroller 100 and the respective SVDU 400 may be coupled with a sameseat-end electronics box 500 (when utilized by the system) thatfunctions as a local network switch or node to provide network servicesto a group of passenger seats, for example a row of seats. In otherembodiments, the controller 100 and the respective SVDU 400 may becoupled with different seat-end electronics boxes 500 (when utilized bythe system). For example, a controller 100 for use by a passenger in anaircraft seat identified by a passenger readable identifier (e.g., aprinted placard) as seat “14B” may be attached to a seat electronics box500 that provides network connections to row “14”, while the SVDU 400installed in the seat back in front of seat “14B” for use by thepassenger in seat “14B” may be attached to a different seat electronicsbox 500 that provides network connections to row “13.”

Example Passenger Controller

FIG. 6 is a functional circuit block diagram of a passenger controller100 configured according to some embodiments of the present invention.The controller 100 includes a network interface 640, a display device632, and a processing device 610. The network interface is configured tocommunicate with a video display unit, such as the SVDU 400 of FIGS. 4and 5 via at least one data network through a wired or wirelessinterface.

The display device 632 may include the touch screen 220 and LCD 130 ofFIGS. 1-3 to provide a touch sensitive display 632. The processingdevice 610 may be connected to a camera 638 to receive a stream ofimages of a passenger, and may be configured to identify gestures that apassenger creates based on an orientation and/or relative positioning offingers of a hand, placement of hands and/or arms, and/or facialgestures created by the passenger's mouth and/or eyes.

The processing device 610 may include one or more data processors 612,such as a general purpose and/or special purpose processor (e.g.,microprocessor and/or digital signal processor), and memory 614. Theprocessor 612 is configured to execute computer program instructionsfrom the memory 614, described below as a computer readable media, toperform at least some of the operations and methods described herein asbeing performed by a passenger controller in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the present invention.

The processor 612 may execute a standard operating system for mobiledevices, handheld computing devices, tablet computing devices, orpersonal digital assistants such as the ANDROID operating system. Assuch, the processor 612 may be compatible with and execute a widevariety of standard applications available for the operating system,independent of the IFE system and the respective proximately installedSVDU 400. In addition, standard off-the-shelf development platformsavailable for the standard operating system may facilitate rapid andstraightforward application development by the aircraft operator fordeployment on the controller 100. In this way, changes to the look andfeel or additions to the functionality of the IFE system may beaccomplished with reduced effort without requiring any changes to thehardware or recertification of the IFE system. Furthermore, the aircraftoperator and/or users may download and install any of the thousands ofapplications available on the internet or the ANDROID MARKETPLACE forimplementation, testing, integration, and use onboard the aircraft bythe controllers 100 and the SVDUs 400.

Although the example controller 100 show in FIGS. 1-3 may have a generalform factor and touch screen functionality that is similar to a smartphone, it is not limited thereto. Other example embodiments of acontroller 100 can include, but are not limited to, a tablet computer, apalmtop computer, and a laptop computer.

The controller 100 may further include audio output/input interfaces634, 636, a physical control interface 630 (e.g., buttons 120 shown inFIG. 1), an accelerometer 640 that provides an output signal indicatingmovement and/or orientation of the controller 100, and a haptic feedbackgenerator 650 that generates touch based signaling (e.g., vibration) toa passenger.

In one embodiment, the processing device 610 is configured to respond touser input by communicating commands to the associated SVDU 400 tocontrol the display of content (e.g., movies/television programming,application programs, etc.) on the associated SVDU 400, and to controlthe display of information received from the head end content server 410and/or received from the associated SVDU 400 on the display device 632of the controller 100. As explained above, content can be concurrentlydisplayed on the controller 100 and the associated SVDU 400.

The controller 100 and the associated SVDU 400 may communicate through awired and/or wireless interface. With further reference to FIG. 6, thenetwork interface 640 can include a near field transceiver 600 (e.g.,RFID), a Bluetooth transceiver 602, a WLAN transceiver (e.g., WIFI) 604,a cellular transceiver 606, and/or an IR (infrared) transceiver 607 thatis configured to communicate with a corresponding remote wirelesstransceiver associated with the SVDU 400. The network interface 640 mayinclude other types of wireless transceivers, including Wireless USB,Ultra Wideband (UWB), and optical transceivers such as infrared. Thenetwork interface 640 may include a wireline network interface 608(e.g., Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB)) that is configured tocommunicate with the SVDU 400 via a wired data network.

In one embodiment, the controller 100 may be configured to use the nearfield transceiver 600 to receive payment information from a credit card,and to communicate off-plane (e.g., as described below regarding FIG.10) to a credit card processing facility to process payment informationfor a financial transaction performed on the plane.

In various embodiments, the controller 100 may be constructed ofappropriate materials to meet applicable aircraft industry standards andrequirements. For example, a head impact criteria (HIC) test may besatisfied by the controller 100. The controller 100 may be ideallysuited for extreme environments such as that of an aircraft. Theseextreme environments may include vibration, large temperaturevariations, and shock which may cause reliability problems with standardcommercial grade entertainment system controllers.

The functionality of the controller 100 as a touch screen interface forcontrolling the IFE system can facilitate straightforward, inexpensive,and rapid customization and branding of the controller 100 onboard theaircraft. For example, the IFE system manufacturer and/or the aircraftoperator (e.g., airline) may customize the passenger interface of thecontroller 100 and SVDU 400 through software and/or graphicalmodifications input to the controller 100, and therefore may notrequirements replacement of hardware to provide customization.

Moreover, the touch sensitive display 722 of the controller 100facilitates the passenger's browsing and selection of IFE systemfunctions, applications, and content in an intuitive manner withoutrequiring the passenger to switch focus between the controller 100 andthe separate SVDU 400. Furthermore, the passenger may have the option todirect content to the associated SVDU 400 which may be mounted in a seatback in front of the passenger's seat, or direct the content to thetouch sensitive display 722 of the controller 100 for more personalviewing, local games, and/or convenient interaction.

In this way, the controller 100 may provide the passenger with aneffective dual-screen display in combination with the respective videodisplay unit to facilitate multitasking such as watching a movie whileordering meals and beverages, shopping, checking or sending email,viewing a real-time updating map of the flight's progress, playing alocal game, or enjoying other entertainment options.

Using a First Wireless Link to Pair a Controller and a SVDU Across aWired Network

Some embodiments are directed to facilitating establishment ofcommunication links between controllers and SVDUs. In one embodiment,the processing device 610 of a controller 100 uses a wirelesscommunication link to identify a SVDU 400 with which it is to beassociated. The processing device 610 then uses the SVDU identity toperform further communications through a wired network with the SVDU400. The processing device 610 may therefore control the wirelesstransceiver 600-607 to establish a wireless communication link with theremote wireless transceiver to receive an identifier for the SVDU 400,and then control the wired network interface 608 to use the identifierto communicate a command through the wired data network to control thedisplay of the first content on the SVDU 400.

In one embodiment, the controller 100 may be associated with aparticular SVDU 400 by swiping the controller 100 across a RFID tag thatis located on (or otherwise associated with) the SVDU 400 to causetransmission of an identifier of the SVDU 400 from the RFID tag to thecontroller 100, which can occur without performing pairing operationsbetween the near field transceiver 600 and the RFID tag and without theassociated steps required of an operator/passenger.

In a further embodiment, the wireless transceiver can include a nearfield transceiver 600 that is configured to communicate with a remotenear field transceiver associated with the SVDU 400. The processingdevice 610 can control the near field transceiver 600 to establish thecommunication link with the remote near field transceiver to receive theidentifier for the SVDU 400 without performing pairing of the near fieldtransceiver 600 and the remote near field transceiver. The processingdevice 610 can then use the identifier as a network address for the SVDU400, or can determine a network address for the SVDU 400 using theidentifier, to enable communication of command through the wired networkto control the display of content on the associated SVDU 400.

Using a First Wireless Link to Pair a Controller and SVDU across aSecond Wireless Link

In another embodiment, the controller 100 uses the near fieldtransceiver 600 as described above to receive an identifier for aparticular SVDU 400 (e.g. by swiping the near field transceiver 600 by aRFID tag associated with the SVDU 400) without performing pairing of thefirst wireless transceiver and the remote first wireless transceiver.The processing device 610 then controls a selected other one of thetransceivers, such as the Bluetooth transceiver 602, the WLANtransceiver 604, and/or the cellular transceiver 606 to use theidentifier to perform pairing to a corresponding remote transceiver(i.e., Bluetooth transceiver, WLAN transceiver, and/or cellulartransceiver) of the SVDU 400 to establish a second communication linkwith the remote transceiver. The processing device 610 communicatescommands through the selected transceiver to control the display ofcontent of the SVDU 400, to control the delivery of content from theSVDU 400 to the controller 100, and/or to control the delivery ofcontent from the head end content server 410 to the controller 100and/or to the SVDU 400.

In a further embodiment, the processing device 610 controls theBluetooth transceiver 602 to use the identifier to perform pairing to aremote Bluetooth transceiver of the SVDU 400 to establish a Bluetoothcommunication link, and to then control the SVDU 400 and/or the head endcontent server 410 through the Bluetooth communication link.

In another further embodiment, the processing device 610 controls theWLAN transceiver 604 to use the identifier to perform pairing to a WLANtransceiver of the wireless router 430, and establish a communicationlink through the wireless router 430 to the SVDU 400. The processingdevice 610 can then control the SVDU 400 and/or the head end contentserver 410 through the WLAN communication link.

Further Operations for Pairing a Controller and SVDU

Example operations and data flows that may be carried out between acontroller 100 and a SVDU 400 are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Referring to afirst embodiment shown in FIG. 8, an operator (e.g., maintenance person)or passenger can move (block 800) the controller 100 within acommunication range of a near field transceiver associated with the SVDU400. For example, the controller 100 can be swiped past a RFID tagassociated with the SVDU 400 and/or can be moved within range of aBluetooth transceiver and/or another communication transceiver of theSVDU 400. The near field transceiver of the SVDU 400 can transmit (block802) the identifier for the SVDU for receipt (block 804) by the nearfield transceiver of the controller 100. The controller 100 can thenestablish (block 806) a direct and/or indirect communication pathwaythrough at least one packet network (e.g. wired and/or wireless network)to the SVDU 400 and/or to the head end content server 410. The SVDU 400and/or to the head end content server 410 can perform operations toassist (blocks 808 and 810) with establish and communication pathway tothe controller 100.

The controller 100 can then communicate (block 812) control commands tothe SVDU 400 and/or to the head end content server 410 to control thedisplay of content on the SVDU 400 and/or to control the delivery ofcontent from the SVDU 400 and/or the head end content server 410 to thecontroller 100. The SVDU 400 can therefore respond to commands form thecontroller 100 by communicating (block 814) content (e.g., a selectedmovie, television program, and/or application program) to the controller100. The head end content server 410 can similarly respond to commandsoriginating from the controller 100 by communicating (block 816) content(e.g., a selected movie, television program, and/or application program)to the controller 100 and/or to the SVDU 400.

Using Dissimilar Data Rate Wireless Links for Control and ContentCommunications

FIG. 9 illustrates operations and methods according to a furtherembodiment that is directed to using RFID communications (one type ofnear field communications) to communicate the identifier for the SVDU400, and then using the identifier to establish a lower transmissiondata rate wireless communication link (e.g., Bluetooth) and a separatehigher transmission data rate wireless communication link (e.g., WLAN)between the controller 100 and the SVDU 400. The lower transmission datarate wireless communication link can be used to communicate controlcommands, and may be exclusively used to communicate control commands.The higher transmission data rate wireless communication link can beused to communicate content (e.g., movie, television program, and/orapplication program), and may be exclusively used to communicatecontent.

Referring to FIG. 9, the controller 100 is moved (block 900) within acommunication range of a RFID transceiver associated with the SVDU 400.The RFID transceiver of the SVDU 400 transmits (block 902) theidentifier for receipt (block 904) by the RFID transceiver of thecontroller 100. The controller 100 performs Bluetooth pairing (blocks906 and 908) with a Bluetooth transceiver of the SVDU 400 using theidentifier to establish a Bluetooth network connection (block 906). Thecontroller 100 also establishes (blocks 910 and 912) a WLAN networkconnection to a WLAN transceiver of the SVDU 400 using the identifier.

In a further embodiment, the controller 100 communicates (block 914)control commands to the SVDU 400 through the Bluetooth networkconnection to control the display of content (e.g., a selected movie,television program, and/or application program) on the SVDU 400 and/orto control the delivery of content from the SVDU 400 and/or the head endcontent server 410 to the controller 100. The SVDU 400 can communicate(block 916) content to the controller 100 through the WLAN networkconnection responsive to the control commands.

For example, a passenger can operate the controller 100 to generate acommand that is used to select among a list of movies displayed on adisplay of the SVDU 400. The controller 100 can transmit the commandthrough the Bluetooth network connection to cause the SVDU 400 to selecta movie that is to be played on the display of the SVDU 400. Thepassenger may alternatively or additionally indicate by the generatedcommand that the selected movie is to be streamed through the WLANnetwork connection for display on the display 632 of the controller 100.Other example commands that the passenger can generate from thecontroller 100 to control operation of the SVDU 400 can include gamingcontrol feedback that is provided to a game program executing on theSVDU 400 and/or to cause video output to be played on the SVDU 400,streamed to the controller 100 for playing, or played on both the SVDU400 and the controller 100. Other commands can include starting,pausing, and/or stopping playback of a movie and/or television programthat is selectively (responsive to the command(s)) played on the SVDU400, streamed to the controller 100 for playing, or played on both theSVDU 400 and the controller 100

The passenger can similarly use the controller 100 to generate commandsthat cause different content to be displayed on the SVDU 400 and thecontroller 100. For example, a passenger may operate the controller 100to play a movie on the SVDU 400 and cause a game program to bedownloaded from the SVDU 400 through the WLAN network connection forexecution on the controller 100, so that playing of the movie andexecution of the game program are occurring concurrently.

Repair and Reconfiguration of the Controller

By partitioning the controller 100 into multiple subassemblies such asthe front cover assembly 310 and the rear cover assembly 320, a broadrange of repair and replacement strategies may be employed to reduce thelife-cycle costs of the controller 100 when deployed in an aircraftenvironment. One such strategy includes facilitating repair of adefective or malfunctioning controller 100 “on-wing,” at an airportterminal, or at an operator's or airline's local facilities. Replacementmodules may be stored on-board the aircraft or at the operator'sfacilities at an airport for rapid replacement of defective modulesonboard the aircraft.

A removable memory media may be swapped out to change content and/orfunctionality available to users via the controller 100. This swap maybe conveniently performed during an on-wing maintenance operation. Whena large amount of airline-specific content and/or software functionalityis incorporated into the controller 100, loading the content and/orsoftware functionality via a data communications interface can be verytime consuming and therefore a limiting factor in the amount of contentand/or software functionality that may be loaded at a given time. Byhaving the content and/or software functionality stored on removablememory media, the content and/or software functionality of thecontroller 100 may be updated simply and quickly by swapping a newremovable memory media into the controller 100 in place of an existingremovable memory media. In addition, the removable memory media may beremoved from the controller 100 when the controller 100 fails and needsto be replaced, and then re-installed or replaced into the replacementcontroller 100 during an on-wing repair operation.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the controller 100 can include a removablememory interface 620 that is configured to receive a removable memorymedia 622 and to store and retrieve data on the removable memory media622. The media 622 includes non-volatile memory, such as flash memory ormagnetic memory on a Solid State Disk (SSD), Secure Digital Card (SDCard), or disk drive. The processing device 610 is configured to executeprograms residing on the media 622 (e.g., operation system program, gameprogram, application program, etc.) to provide information to apassenger and/or to control interactions (e.g., operation of a graphicaluser interface) between the passenger and the controller 100. The media622 can include content, such as movies, television programs, music, andaudio programs.

Example Network Node

FIG. 7 is a functional circuit block diagram of a network node 700configured according to some embodiments of the present invention, andelements of which may be included in the SVDU 400, the head end contentserver 400, a network address translation router 1000 (explained below),or other components of an entertainment system. The network node 700includes a network interface that may include a wireline networkinterface 710, a near field transceiver 702 (e.g., a RFID transceiver),a Bluetooth transceiver 704, a WLAN transceiver 706, a cellulartransceiver 708, and/or an IR transceiver 709 that are configured tocommunicate with a corresponding network interfaces and/or transceiversdescribed above with regard to the controller 100.

The processing device 712 may include one or more data processors 714,such as a general purpose and/or special purpose processor (e.g.,microprocessor and/or digital signal processor), and memory 716. Theprocessor 714 is configured to execute computer program instructionsfrom the memory 716, described below as a computer readable media, toperform at least some of the operations and methods described herein asbeing performed by the SVDU 400, the head end content server 410, therouter 1000, and/or other system components in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the present invention.

The controller note 700 may include audio output/input interfaces 724,726, a physical control interface 720 (e.g.,keyboard/keypad/buttons/switches), and a touch sensitive display 722.

Routing Phone Calls and/or Text messages Between Passenger Seats

Some embodiments are directed to routing phone calls and/or textmessages between passenger seats. A passenger may call another passengerby entering or selecting a seat identifier for the other passenger usingthe passenger controller 100 and/or the associated SVDU 400, and can usea headset 1010 to talk to the other passenger. The passenger may performa video conference with the other passenger using the camera 638 to sendvideo to the other passenger and by receiving video from a controller100 and/or SVDU 400 operated by the other passenger. A passenger mayalso call off-plane through a satellite/cellular transceiver 1020. Apassenger may additionally or alternative send a text message to theother passenger by entering or selecting a seat identifier for the otherpassenger and typing the text message using an interface of thecontroller 100 and/or the SVDU 400 (e.g., a virtual keyboard displayedon the display 632 of the controller and/or a virtual keyboard displayedon the display 722 of the SVDU 400).

In particular, the system enables a passenger to enter or other select apassenger readable identifier (e.g., a printed placard) for a seat thatis to receive the phone call and/or the text message (destinationpassenger seat), and the system translates that identifier into anetwork address that is used to route the phone call and/or text messageto the destination passenger seat.

These and other embodiments are described below with regard to theexample entertainment system shown in FIG. 10. The system includes aplurality of passenger controllers 100 that are each associated with adifferent one of the passenger seats. A communication network 420communicatively interconnects the controllers 100. Each of thecontrollers 100 is assigned a unique network address that is used forrouting information thereto through the communication network 420. Thecontrollers 100 may be connected to the network 420 through associatedSVDUs 400 as explained above, and the SVDUs 400 can also be assignedunique network addresses.

A network address translation router 1000 is configured to route acommunication packet from an originating one of the passengercontrollers 100 through the communication network 420 to a destinationone of the passenger controllers 100 by translating between a passengerreadable identifier for the destination passenger seat (entered orselected by a passenger) (e.g., “2A” to indicate row 2 seat A) and thenetwork address of the passenger controller 100 associated with thedestination passenger seat (e.g., “30C” indicating row 30 seat C).

The network address translation router 1000 may maintain a routing tablethat programmatically associates a passenger readable identifier foreach of the passenger seats with the network address of the passengercontroller 100 associated with the passenger seat. The router 1000 canbe configured to receive a phone call and/or a text message via thecommunication network 420 from the originating passenger controller 100.The phone call and/or the text message can contain the passengerreadable identifier for the destination passenger seat. The router 1000can respond by querying the routing table using the passenger readableidentifier to identify the associated network address for the passengercontroller 100 associated with the destination passenger seat. Therouter 1000 then routes the phone call and/or the text message throughthe communication network 420 to the network address for the passengercontroller 100 associated with the destination passenger seat.

In a further embodiment, the network address translation router 1000receives an originating network address for the originating passengercontroller 100 of the phone call and/or the text message, and queriesthe routing table using the originating network address to identify thepassenger readable identifier for the passenger seat associated with theoriginating passenger controller 100. The router 1000 then routes thephone call and/or the text message, with information identifying thepassenger readable identifier for the passenger seat associated with theoriginating passenger controller 100, to the network address for thepassenger controller 100 associated with the destination passenger seat.

In a further embodiment, each of the passenger controllers 100 isconfigured to receive a phone call and/or a text message havinginformation identifying a passenger readable identifier for a passengerseat associated with another passenger controller 100 that originatedthe phone call and/or the text message, and to display the passengerreadable identifier for the received phone call and/or text message onthe display device 632.

Further Definitions:

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference has been made to the embodiments illustrated in thedrawings, and specific language has been used to describe theseembodiments. However, no limitation of the scope of the invention isintended by this specific language, and the invention should beconstrued to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to oneof ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing the particular embodiments and is not intended tobe limiting of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in this art without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Therefore,the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description ofthe invention but by the following claims, and all differences withinthe scope will be construed as being included in the invention.

For the sake of brevity, conventional electronics, systems, and softwarefunctional aspects of the systems (and components of the individualoperating components of the systems) may not be described in detail.Furthermore, the connecting lines, or connectors shown in the variousfigures presented are intended to represent examplecommunication/functional relationships and/or physical or logicalcouplings between the various elements. It should be noted that manyalternative or additional functional relationships, physical connectionsor logical connections may be present in a practical device. The words“mechanism” and “element” are used broadly and are not limited tomechanical or physical embodiments, but may include software routines inconjunction with processors, etc.

As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “comprises”,“include”, “including”, “includes”, “have”, “has”, “having”, or variantsthereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features,integers, nodes, steps, components or functions but does not precludethe presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, nodes,steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore, as usedherein, the common abbreviation “e.g.”, which derives from the Latinphrase “exempli gratia,” may be used to introduce or specify a generalexample or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intendedto be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation “i.e.”, whichderives from the Latin phrase “id est,” may be used to specify aparticular item from a more general recitation.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the inventionand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unlessotherwise claimed. The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” andsimilar referents in the context of describing the invention (especiallyin the context of the following claims) are to be construed to coverboth the singular and the plural, unless the context unambiguouslyindicates otherwise. In addition, it should be understood that althoughthe terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe variouselements, these elements should not be limited by these terms, which areonly used to distinguish one element from another. The term “and/or”,abbreviated “/”, includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

When a node is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”,“responsive”, or variants thereof to another node, it can be directlyconnected, coupled, or responsive to the other node or intervening nodesmay be present. In contrast, when an node is referred to as being“directly connected”, “directly coupled”, “directly responsive”, orvariants thereof to another node, there are no intervening nodespresent. Like numbers refer to like nodes throughout.

Example embodiments are described herein with reference to blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods,apparatus (systems and/or devices) and/or computer program products. Itis understood that a block of the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/orflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer programinstructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. Thesecomputer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit ofa general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit,and/or other programmable data processing circuit to produce a machine,such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of thecomputer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, transformand control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and otherhardware components within such circuitry to implement thefunctions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block orblocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and/or structure forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/orflowchart block(s).

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangiblecomputer-readable media that can direct a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such thatthe instructions stored in the computer-readable media produce anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement thefunctions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block orblocks.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media may include anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or semiconductor datastorage system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of thecomputer-readable media would include the following: a portable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM) circuit, a read-only memory (ROM)circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory) circuit, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), anda portable digital video disc read-only memory (DVD/BlueRay).

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computerand/or other programmable data processing device to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer and/or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions which execute on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks.Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied inhardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signalprocessor, which may collectively be referred to as “circuitry,” “amodule” or variants thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, thefunctions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted inthe flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in factbe executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/actsinvolved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowchartsand/or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and/or thefunctionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or blockdiagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks maybe added/inserted between the blocks that are illustrated. Moreover,although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths toshow a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood thatcommunication may occur in the opposite direction to the depictedarrows.

Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connectionwith the above description and the drawings. It will be understood thatit would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe andillustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments.Accordingly, the present specification, including the drawings, shall beconstrued to constitute a complete written description of variousexample combinations and subcombinations of embodiments and of themanner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims toany such combination or subcombination.

Other controllers, SVDU, systems, and/or methods according toembodiments of the invention will be or become apparent to one withskill in the art upon review of the present drawings and description. Itis intended that all such additional controllers, SVDU, systems, and/ormethods be included within this description, be within the scope of thepresent invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.Moreover, it is intended that all embodiments disclosed herein can beimplemented separately or combined in any way and/or combination.

1. A controller for controlling an entertainment system that includes avideo display unit that is separate from the controller, the controllercomprising: a network interface for communicating with the video displayunit via at least one data network; a display device; and a processingdevice that is configured to communicate a first command over the atleast one data network to control a display of first content on thevideo display unit, and to control a display of second content on thedisplay device of the controller, wherein the second content isdisplayed concurrently with the first content.
 2. The controller ofclaim 1, wherein: the network interface comprises: a wirelesstransceiver that is configured to communicate with a remote wirelesstransceiver associated with the video display unit; and a wired networkinterface that is configured to communicate with the video display unitvia a wired data network; and the processing device is configured to:control the wireless transceiver to establish a wireless communicationlink with the remote wireless transceiver to receive an identifier forthe video display unit; and control the wired network interface to usethe identifier to communicate the first command through the wired datanetwork to control the display of the first content on the video displayunit.
 3. The controller of claim 2, wherein: the wireless transceivercomprises a near field transceiver that is configured to communicatewith a remote near field transceiver associated with the video displayunit; and the processing device is configured to control the near fieldtransceiver to establish the communication link with the remote nearfield transceiver to receive the identifier for the video display unitwithout performing pairing of the near field transceiver and the remotenear field transceiver.
 4. The controller of claim 2, wherein: theprocessing device is configured to receive a network address for thevideo display unit via the wireless communication link, and to use thenetwork address to communicate the first command through the wired datanetwork to control the display of the first content on the video displayunit.
 5. The controller of claim 1, wherein: the network interfacecomprises: a first wireless transceiver that is configured tocommunicate with a remote first wireless transceiver associated with thevideo display unit; and a second wireless transceiver that is configuredto communicate with a remote second wireless transceiver associated withthe video display unit; and the processing device is configured to:control the first wireless transceiver to establish a firstcommunication link with the remote first wireless transceiver andreceive an identifier for the video display unit without performingpairing of the first wireless transceiver and the remote first wirelesstransceiver; and control the second wireless transceiver to use theidentifier to perform pairing to the remote second wireless transceiverto establish a second communication link with the remote second wirelesstransceiver and to communicate the first command through the secondwireless transceiver to control the display of the first content on thevideo display unit.
 6. The controller of claim 5, wherein: the firstwireless transceiver comprises a near field communication transceiverthat is configured to communicate with a remote near field transceiverassociated with the video display unit; and the processing device isconfigured to control the near field transceiver to establish the firstcommunication link with the remote near field transceiver to receive theidentifier for the video display unit without performing pairing of thenear field transceiver and the remote near field transceiver.
 7. Thecontroller of claim 6, wherein: the second wireless transceivercomprises a Bluetooth transceiver that is configured to communicate witha remote Bluetooth transceiver associated with the video display unit;and the processing device is configured to: control the second wirelesstransceiver to use the identifier to perform pairing between theBluetooth transceiver and the remote Bluetooth transceiver to establisha Bluetooth communication link; and communicate the first commandthrough the Bluetooth communication link to control the display of thefirst content on the video display unit.
 8. The controller of claim 6,wherein: the second wireless transceiver comprises a wireless local areanetwork transceiver that is configured to communicate with a wirelesslocal area network router that has a communication link to a remotewireless local area network transceiver associated with the videodisplay unit; and the processing device is configured to: control thewireless local area network transceiver to use the identifier to performpairing to the wireless local area network router to establish thesecond communication link through the wireless local area network routerto the remote wireless local area network transceiver; and communicatethe first command through the second communication link to control thedisplay of the first content on the video display unit.
 9. Thecontroller of claim 1, wherein: the network interface comprises: a firstwireless transceiver that is configured to communicate with a remotefirst wireless transceiver associated with the video display unit; and asecond wireless transceiver that is configured to communicate with aremote second wireless transceiver associated with the video displayunit, wherein the first wireless transceiver transmits at a lower datacommunication rate than the second wireless transceiver; and theprocessing device is configured to: communicate commands received from auser through the first wireless transceiver to control the video displayunit; and receive the second content through the second wirelesstransceiver for display on the display device of the controller.
 10. Thecontroller of claim 9, wherein: the first wireless transceiver comprisesa Bluetooth transceiver that is configured to communicate with a remoteBluetooth transceiver associated with the video display unit; and thesecond wireless transceiver comprises a wireless local area networktransceiver that is configured to communicate with a remote wirelesslocal area network transceiver associated with the video display unit.11. The controller of claim 9, wherein the processing device isconfigured to: communicate the first command through the first wirelesstransceiver to control selection of a video stream; and receive theselected video stream through the second wireless transmitter fordisplay on the display device of the controller.
 12. The controller ofclaim 9, wherein: the processing device is configured to communicate thefirst command through the first wireless transceiver to controlstarting, pausing, and/or stopping of streaming of the selected videostream received through the second wireless transmitter of thecontroller.
 13. The controller of claim 9, wherein: the processingdevice is configured to communicate commands through the first wirelesstransceiver to control operation of a game program that is beingexecuted by a remote processing device of the video display unit. 14.The controller of claim 13, wherein: the processing device is configuredto communicate commands through the first wireless transceiver to causefirst video content to be output from the game program and displayed bythe video display unit and to further cause second video content to beoutput from the game program and transmitted from the video display unitand received through the second wireless transceiver for display on thedisplay device of the controller.
 15. The controller of claim 1, furthercomprising a removable memory interface that is configured to receive aremovable memory media and to store and retrieve data on the removablememory media, wherein the processing device is configured to control thedisplay of the second content on the display device responsive toprogram code that is retrieved from the removable memory media.
 16. Thecontroller of claim 15, wherein: the processing device is configured toexecute at least one application program that is stored on the removablememory media to control interaction between the controller and a user.17. An entertainment system for a passenger vehicle that includes aplurality of passenger seats, the entertainment system comprising: aplurality of passenger controllers that are each associated with adifferent one of the passenger seats, wherein each of the passengercontrollers includes a passenger interface for receiving and outputtinginformation; a communication network that communicatively interconnectsthe passenger controllers, wherein each of the passenger controllers isassigned a network address that is used for routing information theretothrough the communication network; and a network address translationrouter that is configured to: route a communication packet from anoriginating one of the passenger controllers through the communicationnetwork to a destination one of the passenger controllers by translatingbetween a passenger readable identifier for the destination passengerseat and the network address of the passenger controller associated withthe destination passenger seat.
 18. The entertainment system of claim17, wherein: the network address translation router is furtherconfigured to: maintain a routing table that programmatically associatesa passenger readable identifier for each of the passenger seats with thenetwork address of the passenger controller associated with thepassenger seat; receive a phone call and/or a text message via thecommunication network from the originating passenger controller, whereinthe phone call and/or the text message contains the passenger readableidentifier for the destination passenger seat; query the routing tableusing the passenger readable identifier to identify the associatednetwork address for the passenger controller associated with thedestination passenger seat; and route the phone call and/or the textmessage through the communication network to the network address for thepassenger controller associated with the destination passenger seat. 19.The entertainment system of claim 18, wherein: the network addresstranslation router is further configured to: receive an originatingnetwork address for the originating passenger controller of the phonecall and/or the text message; query the routing table using theoriginating network address to identify the passenger readableidentifier for the passenger seat associated with the originatingpassenger controller; and route the phone call and/or the text message,with information identifying the passenger readable identifier for thepassenger seat associated with the originating passenger controller, tothe network address for the passenger controller associated with thedestination passenger seat.
 20. The entertainment system of claim 19,wherein: each of the passenger controllers includes a display device anda processing device, each of the processing devices are configured to:receive a phone call and/or a text message having informationidentifying a passenger readable identifier for a passenger seatassociated with another passenger controller that originated the phonecall and/or the text message; and display the passenger readableidentifier for the received phone call and/or text message on thedisplay device.